Keate, George (1729-1797)

An Epistle from Lady Jane Gray to Lord Guilford Dudley. Supposed to Have Been Written in the Tower, a Few Days Before They Suffered.

London

Printed for R. and J. Dodsley

1762, 1781

"Bear back, false Winchester, thy proffer'd Bliss, / Weigh Crowns and Kingdoms with a deed like this, / Far, far too light in Wisdom's eye they seem, / Nor shake the scale, while Reason holds the beam."

The Priest this morn, with ev'ry Art endu'd,
Th'accursed purpose hath again renew'd;
"Be ours," he cries, "our better Faith embrace,
"And live Preserver of your falling Race.
"Tho' yet misled, stand forth the Child of Rome,
"The Queen, in mercy, will avert your doom."
Merciful Queen!--Yet since thus greatly kind,
Tell us what mercy shall th'Apostate find?
Thy royal mandate may decide our fates,
But Peace alone on conscious Duty waits;
Who wars against it, does the work of hell,
And arms a demon he can never quell;
Whose shafts receiv'd, search the wide globe around,
Nor herb, nor balsam heals the fatal wound.
Bear back, false Winchester, thy proffer'd Bliss,
Weigh Crowns and Kingdoms with a deed like this,
Far, far too light in Wisdom's eye they seem,
Nor shake the scale, while Reason holds the beam.--
And can the, Guilford, deem me sunk so low,
So fondly wedded to this world of woe,
To think her bounty would my fears entice
To purchase fleeting breath at such a price?
Which when obtain'd, the poor precarious toy
A thousand ills might weaken, or destroy?--
No--Since I'm sworn a Sister to Mischance,
Let the Clouds gather, let the Storm advance,
Unmov'd, its bursting horrors I'll defy,
And steady to my Faith a Martyr die.
For Life's, alas! too like the transient Rose,
Which oft is blasted the same day it blows;
Its beauty from the wind a blight receives,
Or some foul canker taints its crimson Leaves!
Nor judge it hard to fall an early Flow'r,
Rescu'd perchance from some tempest'uous Shower,
From noxious Vapours arm'd with force to kill,
The noontide Sunbeam, or the ev'ning's Chill.
Howe'er the thought appal, Death's gloomy road
By ev'ry mortal foot must once be trod!
Deep thro' the vale of tears Man's journey lies,
And sorrow best prepares him for the Skies!--
O then, my Husband, I conjure thee, hear,
If Suffolk's Daughter e'er to Thee was dear,
By ev'ry wish of happiness to come,
By ev'ry hope beyond the mould'ring Tomb;
If anxious that thy better fame should soar,
And shine applauded when the man's no more:
Let not the wily Churchman win thine ear,
Or sooth thy weakness by his fraudful care;
But arm'd with Constancy's unfailing shield,
As God's own soldier valiant, scorn to yield.
So when Religion, stript of each disguise,
In ancient purity again shall rise,
To her true throne once more shall be restor'd,
And rule by Reason, stronger than the Sword,
(vol. II, pp. 20-4)

Uncategorized::Weighing Uncategorized::Scale Body::Eye::Wisdom's Eye

Searching in HDIS (Poetry)

At least 2 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1762, 1781, 1789, 1797).

First printed as An Epistle from Lady Jane Gray to Lord Guilford Dudley. Supposed to Have Been Written in the Tower, a Few Days Before They Suffered. (London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley, 1762). <Link to ESTC>

Text from George Keate, The Poetical Works of George Keate 2 vols. (London: Printed for J. Dodsley, 1781). <Link to vol. II in Google Books>

Found also in Bell's Fugitive Poetry (1789, 1797). Finding also excerpts in Songs. Elegiac. Sea. (1796, 1799).

07/15/2011

08/17/2005